Nicole Gosling scores in OT, Victoire clinch home-ice advantage
The Montreal Victoire added another chapter to their remarkable season on Friday night, defeating the Boston Fleet 3–2 in overtime in front of a sold-out crowd.
Montreal became the first team in PWHL history to reach 60 points in a single regular season, further solidifying their position atop the league standings. The win also extended their points streak to 16 games, a stretch that includes 14 victories and just two overtime losses. It was also their seventh straight win, and second straight win over the second-place Fleet.
The hero of the night was Nicole Gosling, who scored on a power play just 38 seconds into overtime to seal the win. Earlier in the game, Jade Downie-Landry and Kaitlin Willoughby found the back of the net for the Victoire, putting them up 2–0. The Fleet responded with goals from Jessie Eldridge and Daniela Pejšová, forcing overtime.
Abbey Levy got the start in net for Boston and settled in after allowing two early goals, finishing with 28 saves. Ann-Renée Desbiens turned away 26 shots, and with the win, became the first goaltender in PWHL history to reach 40 career victories.
With the victory, Montreal officially clinched home-ice advantage for the first round of the playoffs, guaranteeing a top-two finish. After the final buzzer, fans stuck around to hear from GM Danièle Sauvageau, head coach Kori Cheverie, and injured captain Marie-Philip Poulin.
“Montreal, the energy you bring is exceptional,” Poulin said. “It’s the energy we need most, because the playoffs are coming up. We have one goal in mind — we want to win the Walter Cup.”
The Victoire finish up the final two games of their regular season out West, facing the Vancouver Goldeneyes on Tuesday night before playing the Seattle Torrent on Saturday, when all eight PWHL teams will be in action.
Standings
| TEAM | GP | GR | RW | OW | SW | OL | RL | PTS | GF | GA | MAX PTS | MAGIC | TRAGIC | #1 | HOME | GOLD | PT % | GF/G | GA/G |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MTL | 28 | 2 | 16 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 60 | 73 | 36 | 66 | X | – | 5 | Y | – | 0.714 | 2.61 | 1.29 |
| BOS | 28 | 2 | 15 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 58 | 69 | 43 | 64 | X | – | 7 | 1 | – | 0.690 | 2.46 | 1.54 |
| MIN | 27 | 3 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 7 | 49 | 84 | 62 | 58 | X | – | – | 10 | – | 0.605 | 3.11 | 2.30 |
| OTT | 27 | 3 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 12 | 36 | 61 | 71 | 45 | 8 | 10 | – | – | – | 0.444 | 2.26 | 2.63 |
| TOR | 27 | 3 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 12 | 34 | 49 | 68 | 43 | 10 | 8 | – | – | – | 0.420 | 1.81 | 2.52 |
| NY | 27 | 3 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 13 | 34 | 61 | 74 | 43 | 10 | 8 | – | – | – | 0.420 | 2.26 | 2.74 |
| VAN | 27 | 3 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 14 | 30 | 54 | 70 | 39 | 14 | 4 | – | – | – | 0.370 | 2.00 | 2.59 |
| SEA | 27 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 16 | 26 | 56 | 77 | 35 | – | E | – | – | 0 | 0.321 | 2.07 | 2.85 |
Montreal, Boston, and Minnesota have clinched playoff spots. Seattle is the first team eliminated and will now start accumulating ‘Gold’ points to clinch the top draft pick. Four teams are now fighting for one spot, and New York, Toronto, and Ottawa all play one of their final two games against one another.
The team that finishes first chooses their opponent between the third and fourth-placed finishers in the first round of the playoffs. All rounds are best-of-three.
Highlights
